Launching Online: Mental Toughness Required

It's not as glamorous as it seems!

You NEED this!

It's going to make getting on line so much easier!

Launching online is not as glamorous as it may seem. Actually, most days, it kind of sucks.

Sure it seems awesome to the person watching me work poolside.

“It must be nice,” they say, “to take your work outside. To work in such a beautiful location.”

I smile and make a friendly comment back. The reality is, they’re right. Today it is nice to be working outdoors next to a pool and enjoying the sun while others are inside at their desks. Today it is beautiful! It’s exactly the type of day most online entrepreneurs live for.

Launching Online Means Working Uncommon Hours

What the pleasant person next to me at the pool doesn’t see, however, are all of the other days when I’m at my desk until midnight writing email autoresponders after making sure all of my mom duties are done and the laundry has been folded. They don’t see the moments of frustration when my opt-in form isn’t delivering my PDF and adding people to my email list. They don’t see the endless hours I spend researching potential clients trying to figure out exactly what frustrates them, only to wind up banging my head against the wall wondering how my latest product failed — again.

They don’t see the months (or years!) of not getting paid simply so I can afford the systems it takes to make my business run.

Being an online entrepreneur can be amazing, sure, but it also requires mental toughness that is uncommon in the business world.

The reality is, working online for yourself is one of the hardest jobs most people will ever attempt. The uncertainty of whether the money is ever going to come in, testing ideas and not knowing if they will work, and being the only person to blame if something goes wrong are all definite downsides to the seemingly carefree life we enjoy.

For every day I am thrilled to be able to work in casual clothes and not have a commute, there is a day where I wish I had someone else to hand the reins to, someone else to share the stress, the uncertainty, the blame. Because working online can be a very lonely and difficult place. It’s hard not to take things personally when you know all of decisions start and end with you. If your product hits it out of the park, your get to celebrate all of the success as your own, but if it fails, the fault lays with you as well.

Launching Online Means Putting Up a Fight

If you’re going to launch a product online, you have to be ready to fight. You will doubt yourself every single step of the way.

Which social media platforms should you be really targeting to make sure it gets the most visibility?

And beyond the choices there are the tasks that are so subjective:

How many emails should you send the day your cart opens?

What is the best way to warm your list?

Should you use a video series to unveil your product or is a webinar better?

Is it most cost/time effective to hire someone to edit your videos and slides or should you buy the equipment and programs to do it yourself?

Does your perfect client respond better to promises to relieve their pain or the promise of a brighter future?

And then there are the technology concerns:

Why isn’t your opt-in form adding people to the proper email list?

Why does Facebook say you had 10 people click through your ad yesterday when only 5 were added to your email list?

Why isn’t your landing page converting?

Which email service provider has the best deliverability rates?

How do you integrate your systems so that everything works together?

Are any of these frustrations I’ve listed hitting really close to home? Congratulations! That’s a good sign that you’re thinking about the tough parts in your launch. Successful online launches are seldom done quickly, easily or without stress.

Launching Online Means Feeling Like You Can Take On the World

The good news each, every time you launch, the steps get a little easier and you doubt yourself a little bit less. And when your launch is successful, you feel like you hit the lottery. All of your hard work is forgotten as you bask in the glory of finally having figured out “the game.”

And then there’s those days when you can work by the pool… 🙂

I’d love to help you if you’re stuck or second guessing your decision. Comment below and let me know what’s got you hung up. I’ll help you get you back on track.